Born in a Crossfire Hurricane
by Styxqueen
Summary: I wrote this story over 20 years ago for an A-Team fanzine, and yes, we exchanged it on a floppy disc! I've scanned the old story and am editing it from the PDF to Word and uploading it here piece by piece. I hope that A-Team fans will enjoy it. I enjoyed writing it many years ago and it's fun to revisit.
1. Born in a Crossfire Hurricane Chapter 1

Born in a Crossfire Hurricane

Captain HM Murdock turned to look one last time at his three teammates who were just stepping out of the plane. Murdock had flown over the DMZ into North Vietnam. He was dropping off Lieutenant Colonel John "Hannibal" Smith, Lieutenant Templeton "Faceman'' Peck, and Sergeant Boscoe "BA" Baracas for a top secret mission. Colonel Morrison had ordered he A-Team to rob the Bank of Hanoi.

"Good luck,guys."

"Thanks Murdockl" Hannibal replied with a grin.

"Yeah man, be careful flying back out of here you crazy fool!"

"Oh now BA, don't worry. Everything is going to be fine. Before you know it we'll be back over the DMZ and at our homebase. Isn't that right,Colonel?" Face said in a worried tone.

"That's right, Lieutenant. This mission will be a piece of cake. But, we can't stay here any longer.

Murdock, get this bird back up in the air and get out of here. Face, get the guns and the disguises. BA, get the explosives. Now, let's move!"

"Well, if you say so Colonel." Murdock seemed concerned, "But I don't know about leaving you guys here without a plane and without a pilot. It...well, it just seems too risky! Why can't I just wait here for you and, and when you come back from your mission I'll be here. I'll be here to take you home!"

"Now listen, Murdock," Hannibal spoke in a firm tone, "those are not our orders. Colonel Morrison gave us explicit orders that you were to return to the airbase in Da Nang immediately after you've dropped us off. Morrison wouldn't order you to leave us unless he had very good reasons for it. We'll be fine. We'll find a way to get out of Hanoi. Get that plane off the ground Captain, and good luck. Come on guys, we've got to get moving."

"Don't worry, Murdock," Face approached Murdock and put his hands on his shoulders. "Everything is going to be all right. Trust me!"

"I hope you're right,Faceman, I just hope you're right. Murdock's eyes looked straight into Face's eyes. Face could see even in the dark, jungle night that there was deep concern in those brown eyes.

With that, Murdock ran back to the plane and began preparing for take-off. BA, Face, and Hannibal watched as Murdock's twin engine plane lifted from the ground into the tropical, starry night.

"I can't believe that we got here in one piece,'' Face murmured, his mind still carrying the image of Murdock's mournful face and those cautious, worried eyes. "I just hope that Murdock makes it back. He seemed so...ah, I don't know, uptight!"

"Face, he'll be fine. He's flying northeast to the sea then heading back south. Because the NVA isn't looking for as small plane this far north they won't be expecting him. That gives him the edge. That's also what's going to help us;-the element of surprise."

"Yeah, speaking of surprises, doesn't it strike you as odd that Morrison didn't leave us any way of getting out of Hanoi? I mean, I think Murdock's got a point there)"

"As long as it's not a plane, anything is fine by me!" BA growled.

"Not now,guys. Let's move!"

Hannibal led the way as they started walking towards Hanoi. Murdock had dropped· them off just outside the city. It was 02:15. The lights of Hanoi sparkled in the distance. Just palm trees and tall grasses surrounded them now, but they' were close to the perimeter of the city and some small shanties were already visible.

"Face, get the hats, we'll need our disguises from here on in."

"Hannibal, these Vietnamese hats and black pajamas aren't going to fool anyone for more than a few minutes! I mean, BA is only three times bigger than your typical Vietnamese! How many Vietnamese have you seen that are six feet tall and two hundred pounds? This is..."

"Shut up,Face, just shut up! This mission is bad enough without you making it sound even worse!" BA whispered angrily.

"Oh rnan..."Face muttered.

Under the cover of night the A-Team made their way into the heart of Hanoi. They were going to rob the bank in the early morning hours on Sunday. Because it was the Tet New Year, the NVA soldiers would be off their guard. The perfect time for a surprise attack.


	2. Born in a Crossfire Hurricane Chapter 2

Murdock's plane was now flying over the pitch black Gulf of Tonkin. He was only about 30 klicks from Da Nang. As his twin engine sped over the dark waters below, Captain Murdock's mind was racing. He couldn't come up with one single, logical reason why he shouldn't have waited for his unit so that he could fly them back to safety. Murdock was sure that he had left his friends behind to face certain death, and he felt guilty for obeying such an irresponsible order.

"I'm gonna have a talk with Colonel Morrison," Murdock thought to himself, "and find out just what the hell he's doin' sending my unit on a suicide mission!"

"I should've stayed behind!" Murdock finally spat out. No one was with him in the cockpit to hear but Murdock felt better finally saying out loud what he had been keeping pent up inside.

"To hell with these orders! What good are orders when they..."

Suddenly something clicked. Murdock felt his stomach drop and his head started to spin. He felt a moment of complete clarity and the conclusion he came to made him jerk back on the controls of his plane. All he wanted to do was turn right around and fly back to Hanoi, but he knew that he'd never make it. Already he was so low on fuel that he'd barely make it to Da Nang. So, he'd do the next best thing. He'd pay a visit to Colonel Morrison.

"Oh my God..." Murdock whispered to himself. In that instant he realized instanrealized why The A-Team had been sent to rob the Bank of Hanoi. Morrison was not expecting them to return alive.

Light shades of orange and blue were starting to paint their way across the eastern sky. It was 05:00 and The A-Team was nearing its destination. For several hours they had slipped through the deserted streets and back alleys of the city. Now they were nearing the central business district of Hanoi.

"Face," Hannibal whispered as he brought his team to a halt at the end of a dark, damp alley that opened up onto an empty square. "We need a truck. We're only a few blocks south of the bank and we need to have a transport to get us out of here. When we get to the bank,B.A. and I will break in the back entrance and get the money out of the safe. I need you stationed outside the front entrance with a truck, jeep, car...whatever you can come up with as long as it's not a rickshaw. That way you can watch the front and keep a lookout for any suspicious NVA types. When BA and I are ready, we'll signal you to meet us at the back and we'll get the hell out of here. Got it?"

Face gave Hannibal a weary glance and let out a tired sigh. His blue eyes were peaking out from under the hat he was wearing. His eyes flitted from the alley to the square in nervous expectation. In tense moments like this one, the happy-go-lucky, talkative, not-a-care-in-the-world Templeton Peck receded to some faraway place. Instead there was the taut, hyper-alert lieutenant with flashing eyes and quick, stealthy movements. The usually loquacious Face became monosyllabic when he was battle-ready, his only utterances being simple ''yes's" and "no's" to Hannibal's orders. This time he didn't say anything at all. He simply nodded and scampered off down the dark alley.

BA and Hannibal gave each other a quick look and together they ran across the open plaza in the direction of the bank.

Murdock reached the airbase in Da Nang at 06:25 hours. He turned off his controls with sharp, panicked movements and stomped out of the plane. He tore his helmet off and marched to Colonel Morrison's office at headquarters.

Murdock's tall, lanky outline could be seen against the rising sun. His usual laid back, jaunty walk was missing. Murdock was confused, uptight, and angry. He wanted some answers. He kept running over the questions he had for Colonel Morrison in his head.

As Murdock threw open the door to army headquarters he ran smack into another pilot who was sauntering out the same door.

"Hey man! What's the matter with you?" The man glared at Murdock.

"Oh, hey look, I'm sorry. Really...I'm sorry,' Murdock said distractedly as he pushed past the man and walked straight into Morrison's office without even knocking.

Just as he burst into the room he overheard Colonel Morrison saying,"Not even this A-Team will be able to complete this particular mission, I assure you..."

His words hit Murdock like a fist in the stomach. He felt physically ill. The few rays of hope that Murdock had about his suspicions being false abruptly faded into darkness.

Colonel Morrison's small, sallow eyes opened wide with shock upon seeing Captain Murdock standing there before him. But, within a split second he regained his composure. Morrison was a short, stout man with a mustache and a nearly bald head hidden under his Colonel's cap.

"Captain Murdock!" Morrison said sharply, "I wasn't expecting you back so...so soon. Please..."

"Surprised to see me?" Murdock said slyly.

Murdock glanced to his right and saw someone who looked like a high-ranking ARVN (Army of the Republic of Vietnam) officer standing next to Colonel Morrison's desk.

Murdock fixed his gaze directly into the man's eyes. The Vietnamese officer glared right back at Murdock. Murdock's eyes did not waver.

Morrison seemed to sense the tension between them and raised his voice to address the Captain. "Captain Murdock! Wait outside until I have finished speaking with Officer Lin Bak To. That is an order, Captain."

Murdock slowly stepped back out the door, but without taking his eyes off the Vietnamese officer for a moment. He slowly closed the door behind him. Murdock stood with his nose just inches from the door as he tried to listen in on the rest of their conversation, but his heart was pounding so wildly that all he could hear was the blood rushing through his ears.

A moment later the door opened and Officer Lin Bak To walked straight into the waiting Captain Murdock. Lin Bak To seemed in a hurry and with annoyance he stepped back, took one last glance at the intrusive Captain, and turned around towards Colonel Morrison.

"Remember,' he said indicating his watch. Then he hurriedly walked away.

"Come in, Captain." Morrison was obviously displeased about Murdock's unexpected visit and he glanced at his own watch as if he was in a rush for time. Murdock stepped inside his office and slammed the door.


	3. Born in a Crossfire Hurricane Chapter 3

Colonel John "Hannibal" Smith's ice blue eyes were watching BA intently, as BA set the explosives to blow the main safe inside Hanoi's state bank.

"How much longer BA?" the Colonel whispered.

"Just a minute more, man, and this thing is gonna blow!"

"Nice, BA!" Hannibal exclaimed as he patted the Sergeant on the back,"Nice!"

"Hey Hannibal, where is Faceman? Did he find us a jeep or something?"

"Yeah, BA, he's out front right now waiting for us. As soon as this thing blows we've got to get as much money out as the two of us can carry, then I'll signal Face to meet us at the back of the bank. Ok?"

"Ok, Hannibal!"

BA made a final adjustment to the wires he had been working on for the last fifteen minutes, "We're ready!"

Sergeant BA Baracus beamed with pride when he looked at the intricate explosive devise he had meticulously pieced together. There was nothing B.A. loved more than to put his technical know-how to work. He knew that he was the best and he was damned proud of it. He'd come a long way from being a small, street-wise little kid in the ghetto. Now he was a member of the most daring A-Team within The Special Forces. Not bad, all things considered.

BA knew that the other members of his team really cared about him, and, it was nice to be around Face, Murdock, and Hannibal because they appreciated his uniqueness. Murdock did tend to get on BA's nerves with his hyperactive imagination and wacky sense of humor, but all in all it was cool. BA especially respected Hannibal. He trusted Hannibal and his plans, no matter how crazy they might seem, because he knew that when things got hot, Hannibal would lay his life on the line for each and every one of his teammates. The same could be said for all the members of The A-Team.

BA and Hannibal hid behind a steel door. BA pressed a button and the charges went off. The explosion sounded incredibly loud and BA was sure that if anyone was anywhere near the bank the would have heard the commotion. He ran to the window to look.

"BA! Stay out of sight!" Hannibal cautioned.

BA saw two NVA soldiers standing near the front of the bank. Apparently they had heard the noise and were turning to look around in alarm. Just across the street from them was Face: he was standing with his arms folded in front of the jeep he had managed to find.

BA ran back towards the blown safe. Hannibal motioned for him to help gather the money and shove it into the packs they'd brought along.

"There's NVA soldiers outside Hannibal!"

"Well, then we're going to have to do this job faster than we'd anticipated Sergeant. We can't do anything about those soldiers while we're in here. It we don't get the money, then our mission is a failure no matter what happens once we get outside! Leave the NVA soldiers to Face. I'm sure he'll think of something."

"Oh no!" Face muttered when he saw the two NVA soldiers start to scramble. Face had been watching them for the last agonizing twenty minutes or so. They had sauntered down the street talking to one another, apparentlyoff-duty and not looking for any trouble. They just happened to stumble right into it.

Face had been waiting out in front of the bank now for almost an hour. Everything had gone just as planned until these two had shown up, "Now what am I going to do!" Face thought.

He too had heard the thud of the explosion inside the bank. Although it wasn't terribly obvious that the sound had come from the bank, it was surely the first place these NVA soldiers would look if they sensed trouble.

Face knew that BA and Hannibal were working fast and so he followed his gut instinct. He wanted to reach them before the NVA did. He ripped off the hat and jumped into the jeep. He revved the engine and circled round to the back of the bank. The two NVA men started to follow him on foot. Face turned and saw them racing after him. As he turned the corner and swerved to a stop he saw Hannibal and BA come racing out of the back door of the bank, "Jump in fellas! We've got company!" Face yelled.

"Let's take care of these guys before they warn anybody else." said Hannibal, "BA, hide behind that wall, I'll wait here; when they come around 1he corner..." BA nodded. He knew what Hannibal had in mind. Face was trying to catch his breath, "Here they come!"

Before the NVA soldiers knew what had hit them, BA and Hannibal came from behind the wall and within a split second they'd knocked the soldiers unconscious. Hannibal looked up at Face with a wicked grin, "What did I tell ya Face, a piece of cake!"

Face sat mortified in the jeep, his eyes still wide with fear. "Easy for you to say, Hannibal, you're not the one those guys were gunning for! We're a lucky they didn't radio for reinforcements."

"Face, save it. C'mon guys, let's go. Those two just might have called in the troops, so, we'd better not wait around to find out."

Face gave Hannibal a weary, reprimanding look as Hannibal jumped into the jeep, still smiling. Before BA could climb in the back of the jeep Face stopped him, "Uh uh...BA, it's your turn to drive. I went through enough just trying to steal this thing. You can have the fun of driving it."

"Oh man! Move over!" BA replied.

With that, the three members of the A-Team were on their way out of Hanoi, still wearing their black pajamas and straw hats as BA drove them through the early morning streets of Hanoi. Unless someone took a close look, they would just think it was a small group of Vietnamese workers heading out of the city to work that morning. BA drove east out of Hanoi, towards the coast. From there The A-Team would need to appropriate some kind of boat. But that was hours away. Right now, all that Hannibal and the others were thinking of was not getting stopped on the road by the NVA.

"Captain Murdock," Morrison grumbled, "what is it that you want?"

Murdock looked down and took a deep breath. For a moment he drew a total blank. He was absolutely speechless. But, as he stared at the cracks in the tile on the floor below his mind started to clear, "Colonel, I have some questions...about this mission. This mission that required me to drop off my team in the heart of enemy territory. To just leave them there without any chance of returning safely. I want to know why. I want to know why you ordered me to do that sir, because, I can't live with myself knowing that I left them there, as good as dead, in Hanoi. I..."

"Captain! Please control yourself! And don't raise your voice. Now, just try and calm down." Morrison tried to stop the flood of words pouring from the distraught Captain, but Murdock continued despite Morrison's interruption. "Calm?! You're asking me to be calm? Do you have any idea what that group of guys means to me? They're my family! I've abandoned my team! And you know why? Because of your orders," Murdock pointed an accusing finger at Morrison, "My heart told me to stay but I didn't. The only reason I didn't was because you ordered me not to. Well, you'd better have a damned good reason. -., I want to know what it is."

Murdock finalIy ran out of breath. He stood staring at Morrison with a gleaming, maniacal look in his eye. It startled Colonel Morrison. He'd never seen this frightening side of the easy-going Captain before, and it put him off his guard.

"Now listen here,Murdock," Morrison said softly, glancing at his watch nervously, "I really don't have time for this discussion right now."

"Yes you do Colonel, yes, you do. You are going to tell me the purpose of this mission and you're going to tell me right now. I have eyery right to know. Murdock's voice was deceptively cool and calm. His eyes gleamed with anxiousness and anger.

It was 07:40 hours.

Morrison again looked at his watch.

"What, what is that all about? Why do you keep doing that? What do you keep looking at your watch for?" Murdock inquired.

"Nothing important, Captain." Morrison replied defensively.

"Well, if it's nothing important then you have time to tell me everything about this mission."

"What mission?" Colonel Morrison answered in a voice without emotion.

"What do mean, what mission? The mission just returned from. The mission that you ordered The A-Team to carry out, robbing the Bank of Hanoi. That's WHAT mission! Only...I've got a feeling that there's more to it than that and I want you to tell me what's going on . You most know, don't you Colonel? You're going to tell me right now." Murdock stood with hands on hips, staring down the Colonel.

"I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about Captain Murdock. No records exist regarding this mission that you are referring to, and, as far as you or anyone else is concerned, I have no knowledge of any such mission. Now, if you'll excuse me," Colonel Morrison concluded as he got up from behind his desk and started for the door. Morrison quickly walked out of his office and started walking towards the airfield, leaving behind a stunned Murdock.

"I don't believe it." Murdock whispered to himself. Then, he shouted, "I don't believe it!"

Murdock's voice echoed down the hall as he raced outside after Morrison. It didn't take long for Murdock to catch up with the Colonel. He grabbed Morrison by the arm and yanked him around. They stood facing one another outside the barracks. The tarmac was already heating up under the early morning tropical sun.

"Wait a minute," Murdock seethed through clenched teeth, his eyes wide with fear, "Who else knows about this mission besides you?"

Morrison squinted into the sun and looked around nervously. He tried to pull away but Murdock's grip on his arm was too strong. Murdock peered frantically into Morrison's eyes for an answer, "Well?"

"I told you, I don't know what you're talking about!"

"Colonel, this is ridiculous!" Murdock almost started to laugh, the situation was so ludicrous, "Just yesterday I stood in your office with the rest of my team listening to you give us our orders for the mission. What is going on? I just don't understand."

"It's not your duty to understand soldier! Your duty is to follow orders and not to question them. Do I make myself clear? I could have you court-martialed for your behavior this morning Captain. Now, let go of my arm you insubordinate son of a bitch!" Morrison was in a rage as he struggled to free himself from Murdock's grip.

Just then, above the on the base, the unmistakable whooshing sound of incoming mortar shells could be heard. Within moments, the entire base was being ripped apart by an NVA bombing attack. Planes and helicopters were exploding. Fuel was burning. Shrapnel was flying everywhere. The base was in chaos as everyone headed for cover. The only two people left standing were Murdock and Morrison. Murdock held tight to Morrison's arm as explosions and panic raged around them. Murdock didn't flinch. He just stared deep into the eyes of a man he thought he knew, but now did not recognize. Trust was destroyed. Faith in anything reasonable seemed to drop away into meaninglessness. Murdock felt like he was going crazy. Morrison seemed like another man, a man he didn't want to know.

"Colonel!" Murdock shouted above the commotion, "How did you know there was going to be an attack on the base this morning? Did your friend Lin Bak To tip you off? Answer me? Were you going to go hide in some bunker somewhere while our soldiers are being killed here on the base? Mr. Lin Bak To must be an NVA spy and let me  
guess ...so are vou."

Morrison managed to pull himself away from Murdock and stood a few feet away. "It's a shame that your part of this mission had to end like this Captain, such a tragedy." Morrison spoke very calmly as he took out a handgun and aimed it directly at Murdock's face.


	4. Born in a Crossfire Hurricane Chapter 4

"I wonder how Murdock's doing." Face mumbled.

"Oh, don't worry Lieutenant. If we were able to make it out of North Vietnam alive, I'm sure that Murdock was able to make it too." Hannibal reassured Templeton.

"Yeah man, he's probably sittin' around eatin' pizza or something." BA chipped in.

"I hope you're right." Face tried to sound happy, but he had a nagging feeling of unease about the entire mission that just would not go away. BA, Face, and Hannibal were sailing south on a US Naval ship that had picked them up in the Gulf of Tonkin. They'd bought a boat from a fisherman on the coast and sailed east until they met the ship that had picked up their radio transmissions. The sun was just sinking over the mainland. The darkening sky above the vast, murky water was an unsettling sight.

"Hey Face, do you have a cigar?"

"Here? Now? Now, sorry Hannibal, I don't seem to have any cigars on me. That wasn't the first thing on my mind when we took off for this nice little jaunt into North Vietnam you know. Having spare cigars for you wasn't on the top of my list!" Face was exasperated.

"Oh." Hannibal murmured, "Hey BA, any chance that you..."

"No man! You know I don't smoke! Anyway, what you need a cigar for anyhow?"

"I need to think about something, and, well, I think better when I've got a cigar!"

"What are you thinking about Colonel, this mission?" Face inquired.

"Yeah, Face." Hannibal spoke in a quiet and serious tone.

BA gave Face a concerned look. Face looked into BA's eyes and raised an eyebrow to let him know that he was thinking along the same lines. Then Face let out a quiet, weary sigh as he turned his gaze back towards Hannibal.

The Colonel was silent. Hannibal was going over all the various aspects of this curious mission. He was trying to piece together all the different pieces of the puzzle but, all the pieces didn't fit. Hannibal knew that following orders was part of military discipline. He also understood that teams, like his A-Team, in the Special Forces were given risky orders and missions that, although they may not make much sense at the time, had definite objectives within an overall strategy. Hannibal knew all that. But, this mission was different. Although there wasn't anything that he could pinpoint, he had a gut feeling that something was not right. What especially disturbed the Colonel was the fact that his team had been put at risk unnecessarily. His team's safety was Hannibal's first priority.

Hannibal felt someone nudging his arm. He turned and saw Face peering at him inquisitively. "Are you all right, Colonel?"

"I'm fine, Face."

Hannibal could sense that Face and BA were uncomfortable with this mission. They all had the same doubts. Even Murdock had been uneasy this morning. Now Hannibal was wishing that he had followed that gut instinct and disobeyed orders, keeping Murdock waiting by the plane to fly them back to Da Nang. Hannibal didn't like having his Team split up. Hannibal was concerned for Murdock's safety, he was on his own.

Hannibal did not want to upset BA and Face with his own doubts, especially since it was too late to change what had already happened. The team needed to keep themselves focused on returning to Da Nang. After their safe return, there would be time to talk about all of these concerns. But now was not the right time.

"Face, did you count the money? How much did we deprive the North Vietnamese government of?"

"Around 10 million, well, a little under 10 million seeing that we had to pay for that tub of bamboo we had to float on. You know, Hannibal, did we really have to pay for that piece of junk? I mean, we just robbed a bank? Why not steal a boat while we're at it? lf this Navy patrol hadn't picked up our signal, we'd have sunk by now!"

"Face, we were ordered to rob that government bank. Now, we don't steal from civilian fishermen just because they happen to be north of the DMZ. It's a matter of principle." The Colonel looked out at the sea and was silent. He looked solemnly at BA and Face and took in their uneasy expressions. Hannibal was just as on edge and uncertain as they were.

"I just hope that Murdock made it through all right." Hannibal thought to himself. Then, he muttered under his breath, "Hang in there, Murdock!"  
"What'd you say Hannibal?" BA asked. "Nothing, Sergeant, nothing."


	5. Born in a Crossfire Hurricane Chapter 5

Murdock stood staring at the gun Morrison was pointing directly at his eyes. For some strange reason Murdock felt completely lucid. In fact, every sight and sound seemed especially clear, crisp, and bright. Including the gun in Morrison's hand.

Without even thinking, Murdock reached for his own pistol which was casually lodged underneath his belt on the inside of his jacket. And before he knew what he was doing, Murdock had the gun in his hand and was ready to pull the trigger.

Then he heard a shot.

Within a split second Murdock fired his own weapon.

Murdock saw Morrison crumple over into a heap on the ground. These few short moments went by so quickly and seemed so surreal, Murdock felt as if he was in a movie, watching these things happen to someone else. But as he watched Morrison fall to the ground he realized that this all was really happening.

Suddenly he remembered the shot he'd heard and he looked down at his chest to see if he'd been hit.

No signs of blood.

Murdock heard another shot. He looked up and saw Morrison crawling towards him and firing at the same time.

"Oh my God, what have I done?" Murdock scrambled forward to help the injured Colonel Morrison.

"Get away from me damn you! I don't need your help!" Morrison struggled to get to his feet. As Murdock approached him he tried to fire upon the Captain once again. But, Murdock grabbed his wrist, yanked the gun from his grip and hurled it onto the steaming, smoking tarmac. Murdock's eyes blazed as his mind raced with panic and disbelief.

"Why? Why?" Murdock stammered.

He didn't know what to do. He looked around and saw the airbase looking like a battlefield. Mortar shells were still hitting the base, injured soldiers lay scattered on the ground amongst the burning fuel and scattered metal. Then a mortar shell hit within a few yards of Murdock and Morrison. The blast literally blew Murdock off his feet and smashed him to the ground.

Murdock tried to stagger to his feet, but he fell back onto the ground. He looked around for Colonel Morrison. He saw him lying a few feet away, bleeding badly from shrapnel wounds in the chest and face.

Murdock let out a gasp at the horrible sight of the Colonel's wounds. Tears came to his eyes as Murdock began to crawl towards Morrison. He wanted to help save the Colonel.

But he heard the unmistakable sound of more incoming mortar shells. After being in the field for as long as he had, Murdock could tell by the sound that these shells were heading straight for him. Murdock didn't have time to rescue Morrison before the shells hit and they'd both be killed. He had to make a decision to save his own life. Murdock jumped to his feet and he bolted away from the barracks and the dying Colonel. Moments later the mortar shells impacted with incredible force. The noise of the explosion was deafening.

Murdock was slammed to the ground once again by the hot air of the blast. He could feel the heat of the explosion and he dreaded to look behind and see the damage. Murdock was sprawled on the black tarmac, his brown jacket with it's painted tiger and Da Nang logo was covered with dust and grime.

Between the heat of the sun and the heat of the fires all around it felt like a furnace.

Murdock couldn't move. He was paralyzed. He stared straight ahead at the crumpled pieces of metal that were once planes and helicopters. The shelling was over and a deathly still, ominous silence hung over the base. As Murdock looked at the destruction around him he could faintly hear the sounds of the wounded. The normal morning sounds of the jungle started up again as soon as the firing had ceased, birds and other creatures came back to life. Tears were streaming down Murdock's face as he lay there trying to come to terms with what had just happened. He didn't want to turn around. He didn't want to know what had happened to Colonel Morrison. Suddenly he heard a voice.

"Are you alright?"

Murdock was startled. He flipped over to shout at the intruder "What do you want?''

"It's ok man, I'm a medic. Have you been injured?"

"Just stay back" Murdock cautioned, "just stay away from me."

The medic could see by now that Murdock had not sustained any injuries and so he backed away, looking curiously at the shell-shocked Captain.

Murdock could now see the area where he and Morrison had just been standing. There was nothing left except an enormous crater in the ground. Even the barracks, Morrison's office included, had been blasted to a million pieces. Morrison's body was nowhere in sight. It too was blown to bits by the blast. Morrison had been wiped off the face of the earth. Nothing remained.

Murdock could not believe his eyes. He got up, put his hands in his pockets, and walked slowly towards the area looking for Morrison's body. Murdock was in a daze. He was looking for something - but he couldn't remember what it was. He knew that he was searching for something very important, but, what was it? Murdock started to get frantic. He began to run around the ruins, his eyes going over the debris. He fell down several times only to get back up again.

The medic who had spoken with Murdock previously came walking back towards him, "excuse me sir, sir, what are you looking for?"

Murdock heard the voice and mumbled a response to himself, "I don't know."

"Sir, I think you'd better come with me to the hospital."

"I said I don't know!" Murdock shouted back at him. Suddenly Murdock felt dizzy. Everything began to spin around him. He looked up at the sun and then everything became a spiral, then a blur, then complete darkness. The medics saw Murdock pass out and hit the ground.


	6. Born in a Crossfire Hurricane Chapter 6

It was Monday as dusk settled over the jungles of 'Nam. The early evening hours were quiet at the hospital where Murdock awoke. He'd been semi-delirious, in and out of consciousness for more than 24 hours.

Now he heard the sound of some very familiar voices. Murdock opened his eyes to see the swaying palm trees outside the window. Then he looked to his left and saw his buddies, BA, Face, and Hannibal talking quietly to each other. They all looked uptight and worried. Murdock smiled weakly at the sight of his friends. He was so glad that they were alive! He'd never been so happy in all his life.

"Hey guys, hey guys! Did ya miss me?" Murdock said quietly. They all turned towards him with beaming smiles.

"Murdock!" They all shouted in unison.

Face was the first to approach as he sat down on Murdock's hospital bed and gave him a big hug. Face tried to choke back the tears, "We didn't know if you'd be coming back to us Murdock." Face and Murdock looked at one another. Murdock could see that Face was pretty shaken up.

"It's gonna be all right Faceman, I'm gonna be all right" Murdock too was trying not to cry, but his nervous laughter hid his tears.

"It's good to see you again, Murdock." Hannibal shook Murdock's hand.

"Yeah man, I was wishin' you was with us to fly us home!" added BA.

"Aw, thanks man! You know, anytime you want to go flying with me BA, just say so." Murdock smiled at BA. BA growled back at him.  
Then the cheery reunion became rather uncomfortably quiet. Face shifted his eyes to the floor. BA shuffled his feet and looked out the window. Hannibal stood at the foot of Murdock's bed and fidgeted with his gloves. Murdock knew that something was wrong.

"How did the mission go, Colonel?" Murdock asked quietly, in a serious tone of voice. Hannibal, BA, and Face all sighed in response.

"What's up guys? Did somethin' go wrong?'' Murdock innocently looked from Face to BA to Hannibal for some answer.

"Murdock, there's something you need to know." Hannibal paused, he took a deep breath and quietly said,

"The U.S. Government now considers the three of us to be war criminals. They're accusing us of robbing the Bank of Hanoi of our own initiative. There aren't any records concerning our mission. They don't know that we were under orders to carry out the robbery. So, it's just our word against theirs. And you know what that means. Unless we go AWOL, we're going to be tried by a military court and..."

Murdock's face was pale. But, for some reason he wasn't all that shocked. Somehow he knew this was coming. They all looked nervously at one another.

"What are you gonna do Colonel?" Murdock asked solemnly, "Where are you gonna go? If you go AWOL, here in 'Nam, every cowboy in the Special Forces will be gunnin' for you. Not to mention the NVA..."

"We know that Murdock!" Face yelled as he jumped up from the bed.

"Take it easy Face" Hannibal looked at the Lieutenant.

BA was pounding his right fist into his palm as he paced back and forth like a caged lion. "They can't lock me up man! No way!" BA shouted.

"That's it guys. BA, Face, both of you wait outside. I need to talk to Murdock"

"Hannibal! Aren't you just a little upset about the idea of spending the next 30 years behind bars? I mean, that's not exactly what I had in mind. This is what we get for following orders? I just don't believe that this is happening to me."

"Face...Face! Now I don't like the idea of being thrown in the slammer any more than you or BA do. But we've got to think rationally if we're going to find a way out of this! Now, just wait outside. I'll be out in a minute"

Face gave Murdock a pat on the shoulder, "I'm sorry about that Murdock, don't mind me. I'll see you soon, take care now, you hear?"

"Hang in there Face, it's gonna be OK" Murdock consoled him.

BA shook Murdock's hand and gave him a warm smile as he walked out the door with Face.

Hannibal pulled up a chair and sat down facing Murdock. The two of them looked at each other in silence for a few minutes.

"Captain, I need to ask you something. What happened to Colonel Morrison?"

Murdock looked away from the Colonel's piercing blue eyes. Then he started humming a tune and quietly singing, "I was born in a crossfire hurricane, and I howled da-da-dum-dum-doo-ba-bow, but it's alllllllllll riiiiiiiiiight now, in fact it's a gas, it's allllllllll right, jumpin' jack flash it's a gas, gas, gaaaaaaasss!"

"Murdock, what are you doing?"

"Man, I love that song! The Rolling Stones, man! Hey, Hannibal, how come I don't have any comic books? I really wanna have a comic book, a Batman comic book! That's what I want. Do you think you can get me one? Maybe Face can scam one for me?"

Hannibal smiled. He couldn't help but be amused at Murdock's flights of fancy. He'd always had a wild imagination. But there was something different about the way Murdock was now behaving. It's as if he was trying to hide from something. He was in his own little world. The Vietnam War was in some other galaxy as far as Murdock was concerned. He wanted to read a comic book and listen to the Rolling Stones. But above all else, Murdock didn't want to think about Colonel Morrison and what had happened that Sunday morning.

"Ok, Murdock. I understand. I understand" Hannibal patted Murdock on the shoulder and started out the door.

"Hannibal, do you think you can get that comic book for me? Batman?"

"I'll see what I can do Murdock." Hannibal replied as he lit a cigar. He smiled at Murdock. As he walked towards Face and BA he could still hear Murdock singing Jumpin' Jack Flash.


End file.
